2025 State Science & Engineering Fair Details
The Minnesota State Science and Engineering Fair will take place on Friday, March 28, 2025 at the Saint Paul River Centre in St. Paul, located 175 Kellogg Blvd West, St Paul, MN 55102.
Check back to this page as the event approaches for more important details. We look forward to seeing you in March 2025!
Registration Fees
All registration fees must be paid by 3/24/25. Click button below to pay with a credit card Or mail a check (with the students names who registration it is covering) to Minnesota Academy of Science, 970 Raymond Ave Suite 103, Saint Paul, MN 55114 and notify kevinsands@mnmas.org that the check has been sent.
PAY STUDENT REGISTRATION FEES
Refunds
Request refunds or cancellations by email to the MAS Operations Manager (info below). The deadline for refunds is the last day of registration. Make your requests based on extenuating circumstances in writing by email to the SSEF Program Manager before the program begins.
Scholarships
Scholarships to cover the State Science & Engineering Fair registration fee are available. You must contact your regional director and inquire about this option.
Contact Operations Coordinator Kevin Sands (kevinsands@mnmas.org) with questions about registration payment or fee waivers.
Project Presentation Guidelines
Participants will submit a project presentation video and other materials during registration in zFairs. These online submissions will be available to judges along with in-person presentation materials to score for each project. Some of the sponsored awards are only judged virtually and rely on your virtual presentation to determine winners.
Please click on the guidelines link below to access a full summary of the presentation guidelines for 2024.
2024 SSEF Presentation Guidelines
Presentation guidelines will look very similar for 2025. Check back for updated 2025 guidelines.
Required online registration materials:
Video- the video should summarize all aspects of your project. Video length may not exceed a maximum of twelve minutes.
Abstract- must NOT exceed 250 words.
Poster presentation/Quad Chart- the quad chart will be a single document file, divided into four sections, providing a high-level summary of the project.
Required in-person presentation materials:
Presentation board- for in-person judging, you will print your quad chart pages to display on a foam poster board.
Paperwork to display- Abstract- Abstract Form, Form 1C- Regulated Research Institution (1C), Form 7(s) (if applicable)- Continuation Projects Form (7)
For any questions regarding presentation guidelines you may contact Liz Buhmann at Lizbuhmann@mnmas.org.
State Science Fair Schedule
This schedule may be subject to slight changes. Please refer back as we get closer to event to confirm official times.
Friday March 28th
State Science Fair at the St Paul RiverCentre
8:00 am- 10:00 am- Student Check-in and Set-up Students will be marked as present and receive any handout materials. As students are checking in they should be setting up their boards in the project presentation hall.
8:00 am- 10:00 am- Display and Safety As students are checking in and getting set up they must go through display and safety. Students must be marked cleared in order to participate in judging.
10:00 am- 11:00 am- Display and Safety Final Checks Time for students to correct any issues with display and safety and get approved for judging.
10:30 am - 10:45 am am- Kick off & Morning Announcements Announcements will include any important information you will need to know for the day
11:00 am- 3:30 pm- Judging
11:00 am - 1:00 pm ODD number projects in hall being judged
1:30 pm-3:30 pm EVEN number projects in hall being judged
11:00 am- 4:00 pm- Enrichment Activities During the time when your project is not being judged you will have time to explore the exhibitor booths, grab lunch at the concession cart or the Headwaters Cafe (both located inside the RiverCentre) , and /or visit the Science Museum of Minnesota (located across the street from the RiverCentre)
3:30 pm-4:30 pm Public Viewing All are welcome in the project hall to view exhibits at this time.
4:30 pm-5:00 pm Student Networking and Prizes
5:00 pm-6:30 pm Keynote & Special Awards Reception Keynote will be followed by Special Awards Reception. Medtronic awards, 3M awards, ISEF finalists and many others will be announced. Food and beverages will be served. All students are required to attend.
6:30 pm Project Teardown & Closing Announcements Students will remove all project materials from project hall and any wrap up announcements will be given.
Sunday, March 30
2:00 pm | Virtual Awards Ceremony Awards ceremony will be held, virtually on Sunday 3/30 at 2:00 pm. Grand and Special Awards will be presented. The link will be posted here and sent to you in an email.
Planning What to Wear & What to Bring to the State Science Fair
What to Wear
Student dress should be neat and clean, but there is no “right” outfit. We ask that students come ready to present and put their best foot forward, but that does not mean you must wear a suit or dress. Consider what you might wear if you were to attend a job interview. Below are some ideas of what appropriate Science Fair attire may look like.
Tops: Button-downs, collared shirts, or blouses are a great choices, either short-sleeved or long-sleeved. You can add a jacket or blazer over your top of choice for added dressiness. Avoid cotton t-shirts or tops with large-printed graphics or slogans.
Bottoms: Pants like slacks or dress pants are great choices. Flowey skirts and pencil skirts are acceptable as well.
Comfortable shoes: Make sure that you wear comfortable shoes, as you will be on your feet for the majority of the day.
What to Bring
We are so glad you will be joining us for the State Science Fair! Below is a list of items that you should plan to bring with you to have the best experience possible.
Water bottle
Small snack for yourself
In-person presentation materials:
Presentation board- for in-person judging you will print your quad chart pages to display on a foam poster board.
Paperwork to display- Abstract, Form 1C, and Form 7(s) (as applies)
Presentation binder (optional)
Science Fair Event Registration
All participants will need to be registered in the zFairs platform. This will be done one of two ways:
Promoted from regional fair - If you are promoted from a regional fair that uses zfairs you will receive a welcome email saying that you have been promoted. You need to perform your first time login asap and answer the questions on the “additional questions” tab. You can log in HERE (use same login info you used with your regional fair), and you will be prompted to add some information about yourself. This account already has your video and all your paperwork you submitted to regionals. Do not create a new account in zfairs for State Sci Fair.
If your region did not use zFairs you need to create a zFairs account - You can get registered in zFairs HERE. Go to Create Account → Student (see image below) and answer all the questions. Once you submit your registration, you will receive a confirmation email that you are registered
Registration Tip: When registering you will be required to submit your "Entry Video Url" and "Digital Display Board”. You do not have to have these completed until the final editing deadline. These two fields are required at the time of registration, so you will need to put in placeholders to complete registration. In "video" you can put any text (such as a dash or a period). For digital display board any jpeg or pdf file will work. You can download the following blank PDF and upload to your digital display board as a placeholder. Blank PDF to download as placeholder. Be sure to update these two entries with your final presentation materials before the final editing deadline.
Accessibility and SSEF
The Minnesota Academy of Science is committed to removing barriers and limitations in all that we do. MAS embraces the spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in our commitment to ensuring that all members of our community can participate as fully as possible in our events, programs and communications. We are continually working to improve our program experience for everyone, and applying the relevant accessibility standards.
If you have accessibility needs, questions or requests, please contact us:
Email: lizbuhmann@mnmas.org
Office Phone: 612-917-3994- Press 6 for Liz Buhmann
Please contact Program Manager Liz Buhmann at lizbuhmann@mnmas.org with any questions.
